Tabbouleh

This grain salad is suitable for any summer gathering. I altered this salad to American palates. Middle Eastern salads tend to have a lot of parsley in them. This recipe uses more bulgar than parsley, but, for a more traditional dish, double the amount of parsley. It's very important to use flat-leaf parsley, not curley parsley. There is a big difference in flavor.

Ingredients

1/2 cup fine grained bulgar wheat

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup water, boiling-hot

2 cups fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped (3 bunches)

1/2 cup fresh mint, finely chopped

2 medium Roma tomatoes, cut into 1/4 inch pieces

1/2 English "hothouse" cucumber, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch pieces

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 cup feta cheese, or more, to taste

Yield

6 servings

Instructions

Reserve some of the parsley, feta, and tomatoes for garnishing.

Stir together the bulgar wheat and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Pour the boiling water over the bulgar, and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let stand 15 minutes, drain and press to remove any excess liquid.

Transfer bulgar to a bowl and toss with remaining ingredients, until well combined. Garnish with reserved parsley, feta and tomatoes.

Hints

Bulgar wheat can usually be found in the "ethnic food" isle at supermarkets, with kosher foods or Middle Eastern selections. You can also use quick cooking couscous if you aren't able to find bulgar.

Hothouse cucumbers are usually wrapped in cellophane. They are more expensive, but they don't have the bitterness of regular cucumbers.